Step 4 Router and Brass

[Trispectiv]

Well, your router looks different from what they show on their website at this moment. If those are 10mm smooth rods, there will be quite a lot of flex. Also, Nema17 in the 0.3Nm range I suppose, will have a hard time pushing it around. But like I said, since you are half-way through already, you will have to mount it even just to check how well/bad your axes coop with the Kress weight.

[Leadhead]

The rods are 12mm dia. I have lightly clamped the Kress to the head and it runs around nice and smoothly. I checked the central deflection on the rods and there is a "no cutting load" movement of 0,03 mm. For what I am doing I think it may stand a chance of being OK.
Will post again once cutting is possible.

[Trispectiv]

Yes, unsupported rails will inevitably have a certain amount of deflection. If the engraving you are doing is rough enough to match those tolerances, it should be fine. Light cuts also reduce further deflection when the engraving bit will meet the workpiece.

If you have access to a decent lathe, you could craft yourself a spindle out of a brushless motor for engraving purposes.

[Leadhead]

The parts I want to make are for steam engine name plates. So no real tolerance problems. Although it will be interesting to see what it can hold. I will be working on plate sizes no more than 75x75 and will locate workpiece origin close to machine origin. This will also minimise the deflection
A brushless motor setup came with the machine. But although high speed it is not very robust. I never used it. Similarly it has a fairly professional looking vinyl cutting head also never used.

[Trispectiv]

Probably a regular punch set would have been much easier for simple name plates :)

[Leadhead]

Unfortunately they are anything but simple. Some have 3D coat of arms and fancy foliate lettering.
Reproducing the original cast iron plates.

[Leadhead]

A relativly simple one!!